Catch, Grill, and Auction: What to Enjoy at the Busan Mackerel Festival

If you are curious about catching by hand, look at bare-handed mackerel catching. The official guide describes it as an on-site sign-up program in a large air pool at the sand beach activity ground. It is different from freely wading into the sea to catch mackerel. With children, it helps to listen first to how the guide explains participation and what happens after you catch, then wait for your turn.

This year's sessions are at 12 noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. on October 31 and November 1, and the fee is 8,000 won. The official capacity is announced as 100 people per session, so being able to sign up on site does not mean anyone can enter right away. First check which session you will join and whether it is full, and keep in mind that your clothes or shoes may get wet. How many mackerel you can receive and how to take them home follow on-site rules. If you are planning on clay-oven grilling too, do not assume the grilling fee is included in the basic activity fee; check the next program's price separately.

If you want to turn the mackerel you caught into food, look at the clay-oven grilling experience as well. The official guide describes a program where you grill and eat the mackerel caught by hand in a clay oven yourself. It differs from a restaurant course where you simply order a plate of finished grilled fish. It suits companions who want to watch the fish cook and turn a meal into an experience.

This year's announced fee is 3,000 won per mackerel, and it runs from 12 noon to 6 p.m. on October 31 and November 1. Do not take this amount as a total that includes the bare-handed catching fee or buying fish. Check at the booth whether visitors who did not join the bare-handed catching can use it, and what materials are provided. Around the clay oven, follow the working positions the staff directs, and move together so children do not touch hot equipment. After checking waiting times and where to eat, adding another activity session makes it more convenient.

If you want to feel the energy of a place where goods are traded, choose the surprise mackerel auction. It is introduced as a program run by a professional auctioneer of the Busan Joint Fish Market, where people bid on the spot and the highest bidder wins. There is fun in watching how mackerel, which you usually meet only at the dinner table, becomes a subject of price and trade. Even if you do not buy, you can think of it as watching how it proceeds and how people react.

The official sessions are at 12 noon, 1 p.m., and 2 p.m. on October 31 and at 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. on November 1, at the Central Plaza. Rather than expecting every session to offer the same starting price or quantity, it helps to first listen to the items and winning conditions presented then. If you plan to bid, set a budget and check how to pay and collect and the storage conditions for the food you will take. Also look at the rules so that raising your hand in the mood does not cause confusion about intent to buy. Ending times and quantities can vary on site, so it is more accurate to check the signboard after arriving.

If you like making and competing more than food experiences, look at the mackerel rocket contest. Although mackerel is in the name, it is not a game of throwing real fish but a contest of building air rockets and competing in flight distance. With children, you can enjoy preparing by talking about the rocket's shape and the direction it flies. Decide with your group first whether to enter the contest or watch other teams try.

The official schedule is 1 to 3 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. on October 31, at the sand beach in front of the Songdo Comprehensive Tourist Information Center. The fee is 5,000 won per team, and one set of materials per team is provided. As of October 16 it was marked as accepting registrations, but since there is a cap, check the website again for current availability. Follow the registration guide on team composition, eligible ages, supplied materials, and the assembly time before the start. Spectators must keep to the launch direction and waiting lines, and it also helps to check before leaving whether operations change due to wind.

If you want to combine the sea with making things, look at the paper boat race. The official program describes a team contest of building boats from cardboard and tape and racing them. Unlike a general marine experience where you rent a finished boat, it includes the building process. Families or friends who like preparing together while thinking about shapes that float and balance may find it interesting.

The contest is announced to start at 12 noon on November 1, and the race section of the overall schedule is marked 12 noon to 4 p.m. The fee is 20,000 won per team, material costs included, and 30 teams are recruited. As of October 16, the application detail page showed it as nearly closed. Check the application page again for current remaining spots, team size, and participation conditions. As it is a sea activity, first read the life-saving equipment, safety guidance, and weather-related change rules. If you only watch, the conditions may differ from team registration with a fee, so also distinguish the event area and viewing spots on site.